US 4,705,175 · Granted 1987-11-10
The Modular Retail Display Patent That Made Store Fixtures Swappable
Imagine a retail shelf system where you can swap out display trays and hooks without tools—just slide them in and out of holes in vertical bars. This patent locks down that snap-together design, which became the backbone of how big retailers build customizable store fixtures.
The plain-English version
What it protects
The claim covers an integrated modular store fixture with parallel vertical members containing aligned holes, combined with removable display or tray assemblies that lock in place via projecting members inserted into those holes. What's protected here is specifically the mechanical connection system—how the side support elements engage with the vertical structure and how a stretcher bar with sliding pins holds everything in the mounted position. Anyone manufacturing a competing fixture that uses this same hole-and-pin locking arrangement without permission would infringe.
Why it matters
This patent created a standardized, reusable system for retail environments where store managers need to reconfigure displays quickly without specialized tools or skills. By making fixtures modular and swappable, retailers could reduce labor costs and adapt layouts on the fly—a major operational advantage in fast-moving retail sectors like apparel and home goods. Sara Lee's ownership of this design gave them a defensible way to control the fixture supply chain.
Real-world use
Every time a retail employee pulls out a tray or rotates a display hook in a department store without using a screwdriver, they're using the quick-release mechanism this patent describes.
Original USPTO abstract
An integrated modular store fixture system has at least two spaced apart parallel vertical members at the rear of the system with side surfaces facing each other and having a series of aligned holes therein. A display assembly or a pull-out tray assembly is engageable with holes into members for holding merchandise to be displayed at the front of the system. The assemblies include two side support elements, each extending from the rear to the front of the system when in the mounted position with one end at the rear having members projecting transverse to the support elements and each projecting member inserted into one hole in one vertical member. The side support elements are releasably retained in the mounted position by a horizontal elongated stretcher member having downwardly depending pins and which are slidably received in tubular members on each support element. A tray or J-hook is mounted on the support elements for holding merchandise to be displayed.
Patent details
- Publication number
- US 4,705,175
- Filing date
- 1987-02-17
- Grant date
- 1987-11-10
- Assignee
- Sara Lee Corporation
- Inventor(s)
- HOWARD; FRED, EDSON; SYDNEY
- CPC class
- A47F5/103
Want to file your own patent?
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